Telluride Mountainfilm finalizes 2010 film picks

28 Apr Telluride Mountainfilm finalizes 2010 film picks

180 South

From over 600 submissions, Mountainfilm has whittled its 2010 official film selections down to roughly 75, a process that Festival Director David Holbrooke says was a "particular challenge" because there were so many strong films. 
 
“As always, we have a wide range of films on a dizzying array of subjects from exploration to environmentalism to ecstasy (the drug). Having to pick and choose what makes the most sense for us, what best connects or contrasts with our themes and sub-themes, is really tough. Saying ‘no’ to strong films and talented filmmakers is just hard, no two ways about it.”
 
However difficult the decision-making process, Holbrooke says he is excited by the quality and diversity of this year’s picks.

Last Train Home

“I’m especially pleased that our core climbing and adventure content is really well
represented this year, while we continue to actively push the envelope on edgier and more unexpected programming. Mountainfilm’s playlist really stands alone. Where else would you see a film about Mallory’s obsession with conquering Everest playing side by side with a film about Alexander Shulgin, who designed the drug Ecstasy?”
 
Holbrooke highlighted the following film selections as representative of Mountainfilm’s
diversity:
 
180 South: Following the famous footsteps of Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, and Lito Tejada-Flores to Patagonia, director Chris Malloy profiles mountaineer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the same route and tries to recapture some of the same spirit. "180 South" is about the true nature of adventure and how it has – and hasn’t – changed.
 
Bag It: Made by Telluride filmmaker Suzan Beraza and recent winner of the Audience Award at the Ashland Independent Film Festival, "Bag It" explores both the pervasive and pernicious nature of plastic. What starts as a film about plastic bags evolves into a wholesale investigation into plastic and its effect on our lives, bodies, and natural environments.
 
Dirty Pictures: Director Etienne Sauret spent years following Dr. Alexander Shulgin, the “Godfather of Psychedelics,” on trips around the world. The result is a fascinating portrait of a man who could have made millions as a corporate chemist but decided to follow his heart to unlock the complexities of the brain.
 
Gasland: A natural gas drilling boom in the U.S. has resulted in some frightening consequences, including combustible drinking water, pools of toxic waste, and lethal well blowouts and gas explosions. Directed by Josh Fox, "Gasland" won the Special Jury Documentary Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
 
Last Train Home: A debut film from Chinese-Canadian Lixin Fan, "Last Train Home" is an emotionally wrenching, visually compelling story about a Chinese couple who leave their village, and their young children, to earn city wages that might allow them to lift their children into a better life. 
 
Music By Prudence: Prudence Mabhena is a severely disabled young woman from Zimbabwe who overcomes all odds – poverty, neglect, isolation, depression – to become a star. This Oscar-winning documentary is directed and produced by Roger Ross Williams.
 

The Wildest Dream

The Wildest Dream: George Mallory died in 1924 during his third attempt to summit Everest. It remains a mystery whether he reached the peak, or not. Conrad Anker discovered Mallory’s remains 75 years later and, in "The Wildest Dream," he recreates Mallory’s final climb and tries to unravel the mystery of his disappearance. With Liam Neeson, Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes and Alan Rickman.
 
About Mountainfilm: For 30 years, Mountainfilm has been committed to bringing ever-increasing levels of artistic excellence to its mission of educating and inspiring audiences about critical issues. The festival began as a venue to showcase climbing movies. It has grown to be a major proponent of adventure, awareness and activism. Celebrating indomitable spirit, Mountainfilm has the power to change lives. To learn more, visit our website. To join the conversation, please visit our blog, follow us on Twitter, and join us on Facebook.